Bomgaars, Edith, 1910-1993

BOMGAARS, WALLINGA, MERRILL

Posted By: Mary Lou Verburg Volunteer (email)
Date: 2/1/2014 at 12:59:58

Born: June 13, 1910 Hull, Iowa
Died: February 16, 1993 Sioux Center, Iowa

"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." That was one of the scriptural passages used in the memorial service for Edith Bomgaars, 82, who died last Tuesday, February 16, at the Sioux Center Community Hospital. She taught school for 36 years, many of those years at Sioux Center, and was active in her church and the community to the very day of her death.

During the memorial service at Central Reformed Church in Sioux Center on Friday, a moving tribute was made to her by her grandson, the Rev. Brad Langstraat, who recalled his days in the seminary studying great theologians.

But, Langstraat said, there are many great theologians who are not studied in seminaries: the neighbor down the street, the farmer, the mechanic, "and my grandmother."

Langstraat, who is now pastor at Carmel Reformed Church in Carmel, told how his grandmother wrote to him every week when he and his wife were living in Africa, and how in one of the letters, she told that when she could not sleep at night she spend the time in prayer.

"We should be prayer warriors like my grandmother," Langstraat said.

In another letter, Langstraat said his grandmother had written; "When we give ourselves to others, we are doing God's will and that is expected of us as Christians."

That was the testimony of Bomgaars's life, loving God and giving and sharing with others. It was pointed out by others during the service and by comments made by her friends afterwards.

During her career as a teacher, she taught hundreds of young people. When she retired, she continued teaching by teaching Sunday School, leading Bible Studies, reading to people at the nursing home every week, leading devotions and planning programs at New Homestead.

Another subject which greatly interested her was instilling in elementary-school pupils what it meant to be a good American. Since she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she personally conducted essay-writing contests in the Sioux Center schools each year on topics of good citizenship.

She was busy in these wide varieties of pursuits of helping others to the very day of her death.

Pastor Dennis Wilcox, who led the memorial service, read a message by Jerilyn Lueders, a member of the congregation at Central Reformed, Lueders recalled a conversation in which Bomgaars had said, when she was 76, that she thought she was getting too old to continue teaching her Sunday-school class of junior-high students, but wanted to make it definitely clear that she would help out whenever there was any kind of need.

And that is exactly what happened. She didn't stop. She just shifted gears and found new ways to share her faith.

At the end of his sermon, Langstraat asked; "Are we living? If we are not ready to die, then how can we really live?" He said we can know the answer to that question from the Apostle Paul's advice to the Phillippians; We can devote our lives to serving Christ and serving others in His name.

"People of God," Langstraat said, "Let us have new life. Let us live for Christ," and that even during a funeral "this is a day of rejoicing" because,when we live for Christ, "we are the greatest theologians."

Irv Mouw sang Goin' Home and Where the Roses Never Fade, Minerva Bomgaars was the organist.

Burial was at Hope Cemetery in Hull.

The former Edith Walinga was born on June 13, 1910, in Hull, the daughter of Peter and Delia (Merrill) Wallinga. She married John J. Bomgaars on June 13, 1931, in Hull. He died July 17, 1960.

Survivors include a daughter Joy, and her husband, Howard Langstraat, of Sibley; a brother and sister-in-law Dr. and Mrs. Merrill Wallinga, of Sioux Center; a sister, Harriet Anderson, of Tampa, Florida; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by two sisters.

Source: Sioux Center News February 23, 1993